@Finn dAbuzz,
Quote Finn:
Quote:I commend you for your research.
Now tell me if that research turned up a treaty or actual written agreement that covered the Soviet Union transferring territorial rights to the Crimea to Ukraine?
??? Russia gave Ukraine the Crimea in 1954. When you give a place to another state, county, or country, it means the territory and people are part of you. So I don't know how you figure that you can admit that Russia gave Crimea to Ukraine, but didn't give it territorial rights. It's absurd.
Moreover, as stated previously, if Russia had qualms about the idea of newly independent Ukraine continuing to include Crimea, Russia sure didn't show it when it became the first country to recognize the newly independent Ukraine, and continued to pay Ukraine lease money for the use of the Russian Naval Base at Sebastopol in the Crimea.
Nonetheless you demand more, Lord knows why. So, just to put your mind completely at ease, I present the following: An officially Russian approved map of the former Soviet republics belonging to the Russia's defense union, (CTSO), and Russia's economic union, (CIS).
This map was made after 2006, since that is when Uzbekistan joined the CIS. This map never gets made unless Russia approves of it. The countries in white don't belong to either the CTSO or CIS, (and couldn't be happier about that, either). The country marked with a blue U is Ukraine, and that peninsula jutting out into the Black Sea is the Crimea.
This map means that even after 2006, Russia was officially approving maps showing Crimea as not belonging to Russia in any shape, size or form.
This proves that the Russian historical claim to the Crimea was dead as a doornail as far as Russia cared, until Putin decided that the oil wealth flowing into Russia would enable him to become a world strongman who everyone would allow to spread his authority influence over Eastern Europe. Ukraine, unlike Poland, Czechoslovaka and other former iron Curtain countries was
not part of NATO, so Putin decided to see what would happen if he took part of the country and annexed it, just to see if the NATO powers would do.
He found out. Obama and the EU slapped sanctions onto Russia that crippled its already faltering economy, (you have to realize that a good economy to Russians would be living standards like Americans during the Great Depression of the 193os, so you can just imagine what a bad Russian economy is like). So instead of military approach, Putin decided to employ social media and other methods to install a puppet in the White House who will get the sanctions lifted. So far, with little success.